Multiple Configuration Booting via SelSYS

[Shentok]

https://www.vector.co.jp/soft/dos/util/se043607.html

I wanted to write this up since I needed to do some digging in how to use this very useful piece of software. I wanted a way to set up multiple booting configurations for my PC-98 since I set up my network card and of course a lot of games want to use that conventional memory space so you can't really have both. Thanks to SelSYS, it solved my problem since NEC MS-DOS doesn't really support features for that without a ton of scripting. Basically this program runs at boot time and replaces your autoexec.bat with whatever you have written for it to run with everything now living in the config.sys file.

The formatting for this software is easy, you just open your config.sys and put SelSYS.EXE on the first line:

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DEVICE=A:\TOOLS\SelSYS.EXE -k
Note that this directory is just an example and you can place it wherever you want. The -k flag forces SelSYS to always run at boot. If you don't want that, remove the flag and you will have to hold the GRAPH key to make it show up, otherwise it'll boot the config in the first slot each time. After that, you start putting in your config.sys parameters below it in this format.

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REM .SYS [NAME OF PROFILE HERE]
DEVICE=A:\DOS\BCKWHEAT.SYS
FILES=30
BUFFERS=10
SHELL=\COMMAND.COM /P
DEVICE=A:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=A:\DOS\EMM386.EXE /UMB /T=A:\DOS\EXTDSWAP.SYS
DEVICE=A:\DOS\SETVER.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=A:\DOS\PRINT.SYS /U
DEVICEHIGH=A:\DOS\RSDRV.SYS
DEVICEHIGH=A:\DOS\KKCFUNC.SYS
DEVICE=A:\DOS\NECAIK1.DRV
DEVICE=A:\DOS\NECAIK2.DRV A:NECAI.SYS
DOS=HIGH,UMB
Pay attention to the REM .SYS[] part. This is where you put the config.sys for that profile. Below this, you'll add your autoexec.bat script.

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REM .BAT
@ECHO OFF
PATH A:\DOS;A:\
SET TEMP=A:\DOS
SET DOSDIR=A:\DOS
A:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE /X
A:\TEENE\LGYPKT 0x60 3 0x00D0
set TEEN=A:\TEENE\TEEN.DEF
A:\TEENE\TEENE.COM
MOUSE
FILMTNH
MOUSE /R
This won't need the profile name since it's considered part of the profile you defined in the REM .SYS portion. That's all you need to do. If you want to add more profiles, just start a new line after this with a new REM .SYS and REM .BAT section.

Here's an example just to show two different profiles configured to be selectable at boot:

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DEVICE=A:\TOOLS\SelSYS.EXE -k

REM .SYS [FILMTN]
DEVICE=A:\DOS\BCKWHEAT.SYS
FILES=30
BUFFERS=10
SHELL=\COMMAND.COM /P
DEVICE=A:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=A:\DOS\EMM386.EXE /UMB /T=A:\DOS\EXTDSWAP.SYS
DEVICE=A:\DOS\SETVER.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=A:\DOS\PRINT.SYS /U
DEVICEHIGH=A:\DOS\RSDRV.SYS
DEVICEHIGH=A:\DOS\KKCFUNC.SYS
DEVICE=A:\DOS\NECAIK1.DRV
DEVICE=A:\DOS\NECAIK2.DRV A:NECAI.SYS
DOS=HIGH,UMB

REM .BAT
@ECHO OFF
PATH A:\DOS;A:\
SET TEMP=A:\DOS
SET DOSDIR=A:\DOS
A:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE /X
A:\TEENE\LGYPKT 0x60 3 0x00D0
set TEEN=A:\TEENE\TEEN.DEF
A:\TEENE\TEENE.COM
MOUSE
FILMTNH
MOUSE /R

REM .SYS [GAMES]
FILES=30
BUFFERS=6,0
FCBS=1,0
DOS=HIGH,UMB
SHELL=A:\COMMAND.COM A:\ /P /E:1024
DEVICE=A:\TOOLS\VEM486.EXE /U

REM .BAT
@ECHO OFF
PATH=A:\;A:\DOS;A:\TOOLS
SET TEMP=A:\DOS
SET DOSDIR=A:\DOS
LH /L:2 QMOUSE -z
cls
ver